Chapter 30: Survival Entertainment Show - Random Keywords (4)

While other groups honed their competitive edges, striving for higher rankings and better votes, Chronos adopted a different approach. If one were to describe the essence captured in their self-cam footage, the words would likely be consideration, concession, and passion. It would be inaccurate to label them as complacent just because they had clinched first place in the competition.

Chronos had prepared for the performance with fervor, practicing tirelessly until the break of dawn. Yet, their focus wasn't solely on the rankings. They made strategies to draw the public’s attention to every member, often sharing the spotlight with those who were less in the limelight.

Watching them practice, even the staff and the editing team found themselves cheering for Chronos to do well. That was roughly the story.

Director Lee Won-Jae frowned deeply. "Have you not edited a survival show before? Just cut the appropriate parts and edit them to look plausible. It's not a malicious edit. Just match the atmosphere with the other groups."

"Um, Director. About that..." The staff Han Yi-Soo cautiously presented his opinion. "I think it would be better to just go with the flow for Chronos."

"What do you mean by that?"

Han Yi-Soo wasn’t moved by Chronos's self-cam; rather, he simply assessed that maintaining Chronos's image and future editing direction would be better for the broadcast.

"It appeared that Chronos's unique selling point lay in their considerate demeanor amid the cutthroat competition. It adds depth to the show, and that's the consensus among the editing team," he remarked.

"Hmm."

"Take, for example, their gracious act of offering the song to Air Senior. Enhancing this image appears to be a prudent choice, as it seems likely that this persona will persist."

Han Yi-Soo wasn't suggesting that Chronos was naively gentle. From his perspective, Chronos operated with a well-established system. Although their decisions appeared to come from immediate concord, a closer look revealed the inner workings of the process.

Some of them started to voice their opinions, and Suh Hyun-Woo presented his after carefully listening to others, trying to persuade them. Then, the members shared their thoughts, and in the end, leader Kang Joo-Han summarized everyone's thoughts and presented the best answer.

Their trust in Kang Joo-Han seemed to be quite strong, as they readily agreed to his final decision without any objections. Overall, no members were stubbornly insisting on their opinions. It was like watching a college group that effortlessly got an A+ on a team project.

"Don't we need at least one gentle group like this?"

"Hmm, Han Yi-Soo has a point. Copy the self-cam videos of each group and bring them to me. I will decide after watching them."

"Okay."

Chronos was in a perfect position to be a rival for other groups, so it was not that simple to give them a gentle image. While such an image could be advantageous for Chronos in the long run, it would make the show boring.

However, Han Yi-Soo's words could be quite convincing, depending on which segments of the self-cam videos were chosen for editing and emphasized.

"Then, I will stop by the editing room and head straight to the site."

"Okay."

Han Yi-Soo left the room with a satisfied look. Although they had different opinions on sensationalist editing, Lee Won-Jae and Han Yi-Soo seemed to share a mutual understanding, suggesting a need to seriously consider each other's viewpoints.

***

Checking the cue cards, Reina looked at her watch and then at Director Kim Shin-Sik. “Is it time to start shooting now?”

Kim Shin-Sik nodded lightly in response. “Let’s start filming. Okay, five, four, three, two, one... Cue!”

The opening soundtrack played through the speakers, resonating loudly in the large studio.

“It’s time to see the future K-POP stars all in one place! Hello, I am Reina, your host for

Pick We Up

. How’s everyone been doing?”

Responses came from around the studio.

“I’m sure you all had special days after the first competition ended.”

Reina started conducting specific interviews with a few trainees. Meanwhile, I was trying to guess the concepts of the other groups based on their outfits with Joo-Han.

Ash Black was sitting in the front, looking completely vibrant. Judging by their makeup and atmosphere, they seemed to have chosen a mystical or bright keyword. On the other hand, High Tension was dressed playfully, and Street Center came in a more dignified style than their usual vibe.

As for Air Senior...

“...”

My gaze inadvertently met with that of an Air Senior member who had been eyeing me for some time, and it was not the first time our eyes crossed paths. I frowned slightly and averted my gaze.

"Now, it’s time to decide the order of the performance. Chronos, who claimed first place in the last competition, will determine today’s sequence."

Earning the right to decide the order seemed to be our prize for the previous victory.

“Chronos, please come forward once the order is decided.”

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With all the cast waiting for our decision, we didn’t have much time to discuss.

“Who should go first?”

We spoke as quietly as possible. At this moment, the camera came between our group, recording the discussion.

“Actually, it’s hard to decide because we don’t know what kind of stage the other groups have prepared.”

Could this really be considered a reward? Every group was skilled, and deciding the order without knowing their keywords or stages felt like a gamble.

The program's format, which forbade rehearsals, made our so-called “reward” seem rather dubious. Amidst our contemplation, Lee Jin-Sung raised his hand with a hint of uncertainty.

"I can’t say there's a strong reason behind it, but I’m curious about one group's performance."

"Which one?"

"Street Center. Their last act was impressive, and they appear to have ventured away from their standard concept this time. I'm keen to see what they've come up with."

Some of the Street Center members were from the same dance team as Lee Jin-Sung. They were likely excited to see what the other party had prepared, given their familiarity with each other's skills.

“Let’s put Street Center first.” Joo-Han decided without much hesitation. It seemed like he thought there was no need to worry about the order without having a clear grasp of the group’s characteristics. In that sense, assigning the potentially burdensome first slot to Street Center and deciding the next stages based on our preferences was all we could do.

“As for Air Senior...”

Silence fell at the mention of Air Senior. While we had more or less decided on the order for the other groups, all of us shared an inclination to impose some sort of setback on Air Senior due to their vexing behavior in the last contest.

However, what kind of disadvantage could the order really impose? It was common knowledge that a group could triumph in the first stage and yet plummet to sixth in another. Hence, what had started as a swift decision-making process for us now evolved into a profound reflection.

As we spent more time deliberating over Air Senior’s order, a smile appeared on the face of the VJ holding the camera.

‘Hmm, a way to give Air Senior a penalty through the order...’

“Joo-Han hyung, what order should we perform in?” I inquired.

“We should perform last now that we have the chance to decide.”

“Then, let’s put Air Senior as the fifth in the order.”

“...Why?”

My smile broadened, yet I offered no verbal explanation. Why indeed? Internally, my thoughts were clear: I wanted to outshine Air Senior completely, even though I couldn't predict their tactics for this round. We had taken significant risks as well, and there was no guarantee that our performance would eclipse that of “Moon Sea.”

However, one thing was for sure.

‘We have to win!’

If they performed before us, it would motivate us to at least beat them. The goal was to ensure that the public would only remember us.

“Yeah, let's do as Hyun-Woo said.” Joo-Han nodded without hesitation. It was evident that everyone, including the members and the VJ holding the camera, caught the nuanced message behind my unfinished sentence.

“Then, I will go and announce it.”

“Okay.”

After all of us agreed, Joo-Han went forward and announced the order, starting from the first in line, Street Center. The venue then buzzed, and the VJ pointed the camera at me.

“Hyun-Woo, why did you decide to place Air Senior before your group?”

The red light was clearly on, indicating that the camera was recording my face. I smiled at the VJ, who was eagerly trying to stir up competition, and responded, “Because I really want to beat Air Senior.”

Was that enough now? The editing department was always eager to highlight conflict, deliberately posing such questions to us who had been peacefully progressing through the competition.

Finally, the VJ looked satisfied with my response and went back to their place. When Joo-Han returned, Reina pointed at the whiteboard.

“The order decided by Chronos is as follows:”

1. Street Center

2. Ash Black

3. High Tension

4. True Bye

5. Air Senior

6. Chronos

“Then, the first in line, Street Center, please come over to prepare for the stage.”

Amid discussions about the performance order, the studio fell silent when the screen behind Reina displayed the new stage. This expansive stage doubled the size of the last competition's, accommodating twice the audience.

Moreover, there was a significant shift in the composition of the crowd. Last time, the audience was predominantly made up of fans of the invited artists like Allure and others, but now, the studio was filled with the fans of the trainee groups. Remarkably, their numbers swelled to this extent within days.

About a minute after looking at the stage from the freezing studio...

“

Pick We Up

! The second competition, Random Keyword Stage! Let's start!”

Announcer Jeong Gyu-Chan's voice boomed through the space, signaling the start. Street Center was the first to take the stage. Now, watching another group perform first without doing anything was a peculiar sensation. It was distinctly different from the relief after one's own performance had concluded, and it felt uncomfortably suspenseful.

‘How could they be so compelling, completely transforming the stage?’

The audience's escalating cheers accompanied Street Center's opening, a true testament to the intensive preparations they had undertaken in the preceding weeks.

The pressure on us just intensified.

“...Hyung, I will go and practice a bit and come back.”

“Now?”

Feeling extremely tense, Park Yoon-Chan stood up, his face ghastly pale. “I will just check my choreography a couple of times and come back, just enough to relieve the tension.”

Park Yoon-Chan got up and headed out of the studio before Joo-Han could respond. I watched Yoon-Chan for a moment and then stood up.

“I will go with him.”

“You too?”

“Yes, I will make sure to come back in time.” Practicing alone wouldn’t do much good without a mirror or someone to film, so I followed Park Yoon-Chan, feeling like I had become a trainer again. Having called him out separately for lessons in the early mornings, I couldn't just leave him alone now.

I caught up with Park Yoon-Chan as he was walking quickly through the corridor.

“Hey, where are we going to practice?” I asked.

“Hyung... you don’t have to come out. I will be fine.”

“Will you know what you do wrong if you practice alone? Just accept the help when it's offered.”

Park Yoon-Chan wore an apologetic look, yet I knew how thankful he was that I came to accompany him.